Fit Life

Easy to Make Gluten-free Recipes That Taste So Good

August 26, 2013

As a certified fitness professional and registered dietitian, my diet has always leaned toward the healthy side. When I was diagnosed with celiac disease two years ago, I naively thought going gluten-free wouldn't be a difficult change considering my cooking skills were decent and I already enjoyed eating fresh, whole foods. I quickly learned, however, that going truly gluten-free would mean eating at home 99 percent of the time. I simply couldn't trust most restaurants to keep me safe. Here are a few of my go-to recipes that are healthy, gluten-free, and quick and easy to make. I hope you enjoy them!

This vegetarian dish is perfect as a side dish for a potluck, but also hearty enough to serve as a main dish!

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

1-3/4 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (make sure to check for gluten-free label if celiac, and use vegetable broth if you need this dish to be vegan or vegetarian)

1 can organic navy beans, drained and rinsed well

½ English cucumber, diced

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

4 green onions, diced

¼ cup red cabbage, diced

½ orange bell pepper, diced

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

3 Tbsp. olive oil

½ tsp. sea salt

½ tsp. black pepper

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, heat broth until boiling. Add quinoa (be sure to rinse quinoa as directed on package), stir, place lid on pot and turn heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add quinoa and mix.

Serve immediately or refrigerate to serve as a cold salad.

Alysa BajenaruContributor

Alysa Bajenaru channels her life-long passion for nutrition and fitness into encouraging content for readers at inspiredRD.com. As an ACE-certified Group Fitness Instructor and Registered Dietitian turned advocate for healthy living in body and soul, Alysa shares recipes for all diets, fitness for the whole family, and stories from the front lines of her work in justice advocacy. Meet Alysa and find what inspires you at inspiredRD.com. You can also find her on Facebook at facebook.com/inspiredrd and Twitter at @inspiredrd.

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